


The Living Force

by BlackPiggy (pumpci), pumpci



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Detectives, Drug Use, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mission Fic, Romance, Sex Pollen, Translation, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:26:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25713517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpci/pseuds/BlackPiggy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpci/pseuds/pumpci
Summary: The mysterious planet of An-Thani provides the galaxy with the finest universal antidote. But when production is suddenly halted, the Senate must act. The Jedi Council sends Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to investigate and resolve the situation.
Relationships: Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 29
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eva_s](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eva_s/gifts).
  * A translation of [Живая Сила](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24759601) by [damngoodcoffee (eva_s)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eva_s/pseuds/damngoodcoffee). 



> This is a translation from Russian. Orginial fic is by gorgeous [damngoodcoffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eva_s/pseuds/damngoodcoffee). The translation was thoroughly betaed by [sanerontheinside](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanerontheinside/pseuds/sanerontheinside) \- thank you so so much!

"Everything is in order, Master,” Obi-Wan said as he entered the cockpit. The door hissed closed behind him. "One of the boxes got loose and fell. I put it back."

Qui-Gon turned to him and smiled. "Good to know. The racket made me think we lost half the cargo hold.” On the wide viewscreen, the green surface of the planet was already unfolding.

"Look," Qui-Gon called. Obi-Wan came, but instead of lowering himself into his seat he stopped behind Qui-Gon's and placed his palm on the backrest, leaning forward slightly to better see whatever his Master wanted to show him.

Boundless fields stretched across the horizon before his eyes, silvery rivers snaking their way across. The city gradually rose in the distance, white spheres sinking into a deep fissure in the ground, looking like mushrooms in a giant spawn or hives bunched together.

Qui-Gon fell back in the seat, strands of long hair tickling Obi-Wan's fingers, a faint herbal scent reaching his nostrils. His heart jumped to his throat.

"There they are," Qui-Gon said.

Obi-Wan forced himself to look into the viewscreen - there, away from the city, large purple flowers hovered over a sea of pale reeds, spangled with small sparkling mirrors of water. The spherical laboratories floating around the blooming plants appeared small in comparison.

One of the flowers didn't look good: blackened and withered, it sloped to the water. More flowers could be seen, a few among them wilted as well.

"I didn't imagine they would really be that big," Obi-Wan muttered, leaning in further. He caught that familiar warm scent again and his breath hitched. 

Qui-Gon reached back without looking and patted him on the shoulder.

"Take your seat, Padawan, we are going to land."

These flowers, the keman, were the reason for their visit to An-Thani. One of the most in-demand universal antidotes in the Galaxy was manufactured on this small planet in the Unknown Regions, and it was made of keman pollen. Keman were giant, Force-sensitive flowers that could grow to a height of up to thirty meters. They were impossible to cultivate, and grew on only one of the planet's wetlands. The flowers bloomed for several years, producing the priceless pollen, and then died.

Although, usually only one flower died in one year, not... Obi-Wan looked closely and counted: eight, eleven... Eleven of the thirty flowers! No wonder the An-Thani government paused production until the reason behind their death was determined. The Republic keenly felt the lack of such important medicine and was anxious to fix the situation. Thus the Council had sent them to investigate, and restart production as soon as possible.

"Beautiful, isn't it?," Qui-Gon asked, turning the ship around over the wetland and directing it towards one of the landing platforms.

Obi-Wan was not looking at the flowers, he was looking at his Master's focused profile. He nodded absently.

***

Obi-Wan paused for a moment on the ramp - warm wind touched his face, pouring over him with the smell of water, earth and greenery. Qui-Gon was already heading down, soft sunlight enveloping his shoulders, sliding into the folds of his robes; Obi-Wan finally broke out of his reverie and made a few quick steps forward, catching up with his Master.

They'd been expected - a delegation of a few Parliament officials and several members of their retinue met them on the landing platform. Obi-Wan eyed them with interest. An-Thanians were humanoid; their only differences from humans were their slightly larger, slanted eyes, and long wings resembling those of a dragonfly that folded down their backs like a sparkling micaceous coat. A woman stepped forward, her flowing violet dress a match to her eyes.

"We greet the revered Jedi on their arrival to An-Thani. My name is Vairene Iss, I am a member of the Parliament and personal Advisor to the Queen."

"I am Qui-Gon Jinn, this is my apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi." Obi-Wan bowed his head slightly following his Master's example. Others were introduced to them and Advisor Vairene spoke again.

"The Queen and the Parliament have instructed me to accompany and assist you in your investigation. It is crucial for our planet to sort the situation out and return to work as soon as possible, so you may count on me for any kind of service you may require, honorable Jedi." She was looking only at Qui-Gon, though, and Obi-Wan couldn't stop himself from surreptitiously rolling his eyes.

He was twenty, but still half a head shorter than Qui-Gon, and even the most exhausting physical training would not turn his juvenile leanness into a sturdy, muscular physique. He was often paid no mind during missions; Qui-Gon told him once, in response to his complaint, that it was even useful - that way Obi-Wan could access places Qui-Gon himself could not, for Qui-Gon would be noticed and stopped despite all his Jedi skills.

As if catching on to his irritation, Qui-Gon cast a brief glance his way and smiled slightly; Obi-Wan could almost hear his soft "Patience." He felt ashamed, and tried to release his emotions into the Force.

After the courtesies were over Advisor Vairene asked them to follow. They entered the dome of the giant spherical building, one of those Obi-Wan had seen from the ship. Inside, white terrace arches were adorned with bright greenery, ivy curling up the stairs, water trickling gently. The dome was actually transparent and sunlight passed through freely. Its many levels went deep down in ledges; they could see well-lighted plazas, translucent hemispherical halls, round doors and windows of dwellings. An-Thanians were everywhere, sitting near fountains or walking in groups. Obi-Wan witnessed one man expand his wings, glide down to the lower level and go on with his day.

"And I thought they only served a cosmetic purpose," Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. Advisor Vairene finally graced him with a look and smiled. Obi-Wan realised he must have said something not quite proper and dropped his gaze.

"There are rooms ready in my apartments for the honored Jedi. What would you like to receive first, after you have rested from the flight?" she asked.

"Send us all available investigation materials regarding damage to the keman, please," Qui-Gon responded. "And I would like to be granted full access into the planet's inner network."

"Of course."

They reached elegant double doors on the top level. Inside, a garden flourished beneath a transparent dome; at first Obi-Wan hadn't even realised this was a dwelling. Advisor Vairene gestured to the right, towards arches with barely noticeable power doors.

"Those are my quarters. Summon me anytime you need something. To the left are the rooms for the revered Jedi. Please, rest, and I shall soon send you everything necessary."

Qui-Gon bowed and the lady departed. The rooms reserved for them were spacious and adorned with verdure; the common room, oddly shaped, resembled a wasp's nest, and opened into two sleeping rooms on opposite sides. Obi-Wan felt discontent prickle at him: usually on missions they slept in more modest conditions, but close to each other. Some nights he would just lie awake, staring into Qui-Gon's serene face, until sleep claimed him too.

Obi-Wan went out to have a look around, leaving Qui-Gon to deal with the received access codes. It was just as he'd thought: the lower the level, the more densely the living quarters doors were spaced along the walls, and the more plain those doors looked. Here, on the top level, only the most rich and puissant An-Thanians lived, apparently. Leaning on a terrace railing, Obi-Wan observed the swarming of life beneath for some time. Mostly, the citizens appeared calm, but there was tension in the Force. Obi-Wan knew that keman were not only the main income source for the planet's inhabitants, they were also sacred, and the death of so many flowers had naturally caused anxiety and dismay.

When Obi-Wan got back, Qui-Gon was reading something on a datapad, sprawled comfortably on a couch under the tree with wide-spread branches and fleshy leaves. He spotted Obi-Wan and beckoned him over.

Obi-Wan glanced at the curved armchair nearby - and sat down on the couch beside Qui-Gon. His Master wasn't wearing robes; his tunic sleeves were rolled up, revealing tan forearms, covered with small scars. He stretched out one arm, passing the datapad to Obi-Wan, his skin radiating warmth.

"They sent the reports, but there is nothing useful: no signs of physical damage were found in the flowers, water and air testing results are absolutely normal, nothing changed in the biosphere," Qui-Gon said. "I think we need to go there and take up a few samples, too, just in case."

Obi-Wan was swiping through on the datapad until he realised that he hadn't memorised a single number. Qui-Gon was peering into the screen over his shoulder and Obi-Wan could feel his breath on his neck.

"Here is a Parliament session recording," Qui-Gon tapped the datapad screen, opening a video file. "What do you see?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes momentarily, trying to focus.

The recording showed a tense dispute. Obi-Wan watched as several politicians jumped up from their seats, their wings trembling as they shouted that the production must be ceased. One of the men even jumped onto his lectern with the flap of his wings and shook his fist in the air. "We must put a stop to the exploitation of keman! This is their response to our maleficent actions, our planet's response - we have to stop trafficking in our most sacred thing!"

"Diversion?" Obi-Wan guessed, muting the sound and looking at Qui-Gon. 

He nodded. "Could be. For centuries, these flowers were something like deities for An-Thanians. Only in the last twenty years had the pollen been used for the antidote manufacturing and its export. And instantly there were ardent opposers," Qui-Gon nodded at the datapad. Advisor Vairene was currently speaking on the recording, trying to calm down the loudmouth. "As well as dedicated supporters. Advisor Vairene is a leader among those who think the trade with the Galaxy to be necessary for the planet's upgrowth."

"If this is a diversion, there is danger that the opposing side will go even further with it," Obi-Wan frowned, concerned. He didn't like Advisor Vairene much, but he knew his feelings were biased, and he did not wish her harm.

"We will try to watch over her. And now let us go see the keman." Qui-Gon patted his shoulder lightly and got up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was betaed by [Saner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanerontheinside/pseuds/sanerontheinside) and [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha)! Thank you both so much 💛

Advisor Vairene herself volunteered to guide them to the keman.

Following her, they passed through several hemispheres interconnected by wide junctions, ascending gradually to the surface. Qui-Gon watched as Obi-Wan turned his head in every direction with interest. He took in pearlescent, shining beds of artificial streams, terraces entwined in greenery, occasional passer-by An-Thanians.

Soon they could hear the noise of a waterfall in the distance. Qui-Gon had seen it from above: the river that fed into the sacred swamp fell down from a cliff on the city outskirts, rainbows glinting in the fine water spray. They finally emerged to the surface and reached the docks under a round canopy. Here the ‘roar of the’ waterfall was much louder.

Advisor Vairene gestured to the long gravboats.

"We don't use fuel-powered transport on the sacred swamps.” She had to raise her voice in order to be heard. She typed something on her wrist comm and one of the gravboats left the dock and hovered to the landing platform they were standing on. "Please.”

The boat's bottom was made of a transparent material. Obi-Wan stepped aboard, eyeing dark waters beneath, and wobbled a little. Qui-Gon caught him by his elbow to steady him.

"Sorry, Master." His Padawan's smile was sheepish and somehow beautiful. Qui-Gon only shook his head. Sometimes he forgot how young Obi-Wan actually was and how much he had yet to see

The gravboat's side rose up and it separated from the platform, gliding into the broad floodplain. It was low power, equipped with only a solar cell. The vessel hovered above water low and slow, allowing for admiration of silvery grass flowing by the sides and under the bottom.

"Master, look!" Obi-Wan was pointing down and Qui-Gon bent over beside him. Some small animals were frolicing between roots in dark waters. They were covered in bright fuscia-colored fur and resembled both fish and otters.

"Munpurrs,” Advisor Vairene explained, having traced the direction of their gazes, "These animals are a symbiotic species to the keman. They are herbivores, and they thin out keman's root system, keeping the plants healthy."

"Could the withering be connected with them?" Obi-Wan asked, "Let's say someone had started hunting them for their pretty fur. The population might have decreased and caused the flowers to start dying..."

Vairene's face twisted in horror.

"No one hunts on the sacred swamp!" she exclaimed, then took a breath and continued more calmly, "No, we have checked the biosphere — nothing has changed, including the manpurr population.”

Obi-Wan looked a bit shocked and confused by her reaction. Qui-Gon could understand that — Obi-Wan was raised in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He could hardly imagine the mentality of traditional societies, even despite how much he had read about it during training and mission preparation. The wetlands and the flowers were sacred for An-Thanians; Qui-Gon was surprised that any of them would even think of using keman pollen for production and export. He knew that aforetime the pollen had only been collected for internal needs, used to make medicine and for ritual purposes, though the nature of those rituals remained unclear. The records about An-Thani provided by Jocasta Nu had very little information about this particular issue.

"Forgive me, Advisor Vairene,” Obi-Wan apologized, "I did not intend to say anything offensive.”

The advisor's violet eyes softened.

"I understand. Our tradition is not well-known across the galaxy. Although our knowledge of the Jedi is scarce and scattered too." She smiled, "Is it true that some Jedi have a special connection to Life?"

This was not a mundane word, obvious in the way she said it. Qui-Gon pondered for a few moments.

"Some Jedi really do have deeper affiliation with the Living Force, but I am not sure if we are talking about the same thing."

"Close your eyes," Advisor Vairene suggested. Qui-Gon complied.

At first, he was only able to hear quiet rustling of the stems brushing against the sides of the gravboat, and then the polyphonic choir surfaced — insects buzzing, wind swishing, water splashing, animals crooning. Submersing himself deeper, he heard a low, quiet song, like a reed humming in the wind. A sensation rose in his mind, similar to the one he felt near the Great Tree in the center of the Jedi Temple.

"Legends say, long ago, our people had been able to hear the sacred song of Life." Advisor Vairene's voice came to him from far away, as if from under water, "We obeyed its will. But for more than two centuries, the art has been lost." She paused and then added calmly, "We have reached our destination.”

Qui-Gon opened his eyes slowly and looked around. Their boat came to a stop at the landing platform of the spherical laboratory situated under the giant flower. The purple petals seemed almost black at the base. Beside him, Obi-Wan tilted his head back, his bewilderment apparent on his face. Even Qui-Gon himself, knowing full well what he was going to see, was stricken by a grand sight. The flower rose high into the sky; its petals interlocked on the apex, resembling a turret with a wide base. There was a pleasant fragrance in the air, which seemed distantly familiar to Qui-Gon; he still heard the quiet song in the periphery of his mind.

"Um, but how do you..." Obi-Wan pointed up, demonstrating an amazing lack of eloquence. Nevertheless, Advisor Vairene understood him.

"The flower opens up for one hour at dawn and at dusk. Workers fly inside and gather the pollen by hand. Come, I shall show you the laboratory." She touched a sensor on the wall and the round door slid aside. Qui-Gon had to bend down his head to enter.

Inside the sphere was a circular corridor leading to compartments, each serving its own purpose. Gathered pollen was put into the sorting droid receptacle to be purificated and processed. The obtained material went through intermediate testing and then into synthesis and packaging compartments. Cargo gravboats transported the manufactured product into the city. Each laboratory was functioning as a small autonomous factory of antidote production.

There were also rooms for workers: where they changed, disinfected, and rested. Qui-Gon carefully examined everything. Still, the purpose of half the equipment remained a mystery to him, and the Force was silent, not providing any further insight.

"According to the records we received for this mission at the Jedi Temple, the pollen is also used in rituals." He looked at the advisor, "Is it produced here too?"

Surprise flickered in Advisor Vairene's eyes. "Keman pollen has not been used in rituals for almost two hundred years now," she answered, carefully choosing her words, "The reason is... the rituals are no longer performed. My people lost them with the ability to hear the Song."

Qui-Gon nodded. Well, not all information in the Archives was up-to-date.

They were allowed to examine all other laboratories, but nothing unusual came up.

"We would like to get a few samples of a dead flower," Qui-Gon said. Advisor Vairene nodded reluctantly, and Qui-Gon concluded she wasn't keen about again witnessing a sight so troubling for an An-Thanian. "We can get there by ourselves," he suggested, but the advisor only shook her head.

"Don't worry."

The examination of the laboratories took all day. The small light of the sun sloped towards the horizon, growing in size as its orange color deepened. Its long, warm rays shot through the reeds, turning keman petals translucent and reticulate, like the An-Thanians' wings.

Advisor Vairene stopped the gravboat at the base of a dead flower. Qui-Gon pulled out a test set from his pack and bent over the side of the vessel, acquiring water and air samples. He pinched off a small piece of the dark, withered petal, glancing at the advisor. Her face visibly flinched.

Qui-Gon stood up, "I am sorry. This is necessary for the investigation."

She nodded and turned away, "Look."

The sun was low now, inevitably hiding behind the horizon. The swamp drowned in a honey-gold light, iridescent glow set on the delicate petals of the living flowers. They wavered and slowly opened in a single rhythm with the setting sun.

Their pleasant scent intensified a hundredfold, and the song of the Force suddenly sounded louder, making the air around them vibrate. Obi-Wan sighed loudly. Qui-Gon looked at him and frowned with worry.

Bright flush colored his cheekbones and his pupils had blown wide so that the irises remained barely visible.

"Obi-Wan?" he called. Obi-Wan was looking past him, toward the flowers drifting in the scarlet sunset, and seemed to notice nothing else. Qui-Gon reached out, unnerved, and felt the heat even before his fingers touched his burning cheek. Obi-Wan startled at the touch — he blinked, focusing on Qui-Gon, and recoiled abruptly, nearly flipping over the boat.

"Ah!" Advisor Vairene swayed, spreading her wings. Qui-Gon automatically held her by the waist to help her remain on her feet. She looked up at him, scared and vulnerable, and then her wings folded down, stroking his arm.

Qui-Gon smiled at her. Once he’d made sure the gravboat was stable and the advisor would not fall, he stepped towards his apprentice.

"What's wrong, Padawan?" Obi-Wan had a wild look on his face. It remained while Qui-Gon was helping the advisor to keep her balance, slowly fading only after Qui-Gon had called to him.

"Some humans develop a very strong reaction to the unprocessed pollen," the advisor said.

Obi-Wan gradually gained control over his breathing and now looked more like his usual self. "I am sorry, Master," there was slight guilt in his voice, "I don't know what came over me."

Qui-Gon felt there was more to it than Obi-Wan was willing to admit. But dusk had fallen on the swamp and he decided they would discuss what had happened later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter betaed by [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha)! Thank you very much <3

Darkness had already fallen when they docked at the landing platform. The city's spheres glowed softly in the night; the sky was splattered with stars more dense than Obi-Wan had ever seen before.

"Master," he touched Qui-Gon's sleeve to get his attention, "Let me take the samples to the ship right now and put them into the analyzer. Why waste time?"

At this moment he wanted to be anywhere other than in their quarters, alone with Qui-Gon.

"All right." Qui-Gon handed the samples over to him and smiled encouragingly.

"How long will the tests take?" Advisor Vairene asked.

"Ship analyzer only processes the data, the analyzing itself will take place on Coruscant," Qui-Gon answered, "If we take long range connection speed in the Unknown Regions into account... we'll need to wait for a couple of days."

The advisor's face fell, "Every day the production is suspended costs the planet's economy. So much has come to depend on the export in the last twenty years..."

Qui-Gon tried for consolidation, "We shall find the answers as soon as possible, Advisor Vairene." He nodded at Obi-Wan, "We shall start immediately."

Obi-Wan bowed and left at such a pace it seemed to him he was running.

***

Obi-Wan placed the samples inside the analyzer and dropped into the pilot seat. He closed his eyes - and here it was again. The vision. Emering from the darkness as if it was waiting.

He saw Qui-Gon standing under the great tree in the heart of the Jedi Temple and looking down on the city. Patches of light filtered through the leaves and fell on his skin, ornate shadows constantly moving as the wind touched the branches. Nothing unusual about this sight, it seemed. And yet a feeling squeezed Obi-Wan's heart; feeling so powerful, so sweet and at the same time so torturous he couldn't breathe.

A device beeping brought him back to reality — the data was ready to be sent. Obi-Wan let out a heavy sigh and straightened in his seat; he typed in a few commands, sending a request. Advisor Vairene had provided them with full access to the local network, including a high speed channel to the long-distance communication tower. The data would go from the tower to the satellite and from there it would be transmitted to Coruscant.

Obi-Wan typed in more commands, starting the transmission.

It was time to come back, but he hesitated. He didn't know what to say when Qui-Gon asked him about what had happened on the swamp. More importantly, he didn't know what to say to himself.

***

Qui-Gon was waiting for him in the common room, sitting on the couch once again and looking at his datapad.

"Eat," he gestured towards the table under the spreading bush. Only then had Obi-Wan noticed how hungry he actually was. He wasn’t the kind to forget about meals; he had felt about food quite strongly when he was a teen. He had to admit, whatever happened near the keman flower had really messed him up.

The odd-looking food under the insulated lids tasted ok, actually. It was mostly local vegetables and potherbs and some synth meat, cooked in quite a strange way.

"Curious, isn't it?"

Qui-Gon passed by the table and stood by a quaintly curved window, looking into the dark. Obi-Wan shuddered — the Qui-Gon from his vision had looked almost the same: same angle, same expression in his eyes, same serene face.

"An-Thanians want to preserve their world intact — all those green meadows, animals and birds, wetlands — and still the galaxy comes enforcing its own laws of trade and politics," Qui-Gon spoke, "Old tradition dies down and a new one takes its place. The Rite becomes a thing of the past, and a connection with nature thins out."

Obi-Wan put aside the cutlery and stood up. He stepped closer and looked out the window too. Street lights along the terraces' edges sparkled dimly, like fireflies resting on railings.

"Seems like there are enough not pleased with the situation, but to destroy their own sacred flowers? Doesn't make sense."

"Sometimes people go further than they intend." Qui-Gon touched the glass with his palm and Obi-Wan almost felt its nice coolness. His Master's hand was large, much bigger than his own.

Qui-Gon regarded him with a soft but discerning look. "What happened on the sacred swamp, Padawan?"

Obi-Wan sighed, looking away. "I had a... vision," he confessed reluctantly. Qui-Gon nodded like he was expecting such an answer. "I don't think it's related to the mission," Obi-Wan tried to give his Master a firm look, to show him he would not welcome further questioning. Qui-Gon held his gaze for a few moments and then bowed his head, acknowledging his right to stay silent. Obi-Wan felt both relieved and disappointed.

"All right. Let us discuss our plans for tomorrow then," said Qui-Gon, coming back to sit on the couch. Obi-Wan hesitated, but still followed him and, again, sat down beside him. Qui-Gon reclined against the backrest and now their sides almost touched. Obi-Wan felt his Master's body warmth and familiar herbal scent that had nearly stunned him on the swamp as the flowers opened.

"Let's begin with the Parliament session," Qui-Gon said, "As of today, forty percent of the representatives agree to carefully renew production on at least some flowers. Tomorrow they will try to push the resolution through."

"Will we support them because the Republic needs the antidote? What if the flowers will start dying again?" Obi-Wan asked doubtfully.

"First we shall observe," came Qui-Gon's mild answer, "And we shall decide with whom we should talk in order to test the diversion theory. Records from the labs nearest to the deceased flowers also need to be checked over for anything strange the locals could have missed."

Some thought slid across the surface of Obi-Wan's mind, something pertaining to the laboratories. He closed his eyes — tried to focus and isolate it — but Qui-Gon moved and accidently touched Obi-Wan's thigh with his knee, and suddenly Obi-Wan's head was totally empty of thought.

His heart was pounding like he had just finished a long run; he wanted, beyond all bearing, to lean against Qui-Gon's side, to feel everything: rough cloth, body heat, solid shoulder under his temple. Obi-Wan swallowed and moved away slightly; Qui-Gon glanced at him and smiled a little, as if apologizing.

Obi-Wan cleared the hoarseness from his throat, “I want to inspect the labs one more time tomorrow.”

"Okay," Qui-Gon agreed easily, "Now let's go to sleep, Padawan." He stood up and waved his good night, disappearing into the door of his bedroom. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and rubbed his face violently. 

***

The resolution to renew the production on some of the flowers did not pass in the Parliament session. The loudmouth from the latest recording — Obi-Wan checked on the datapad: Thao Mirrin — seemed to have a lot of supporters. Those who were worried the flowers would keep dying also had sided with him.

When the session was finished, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon went to talk to Thao Mirrin.

"Representative Mirrin? My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. We would like to ask you a few questions," Qui-Gon bowed slightly. He towered over the small An-Thanian like a mountain, and Obi-Wan noticed how Thao Mirrin's wings tensed momentarily, as if he wanted to fly away.

"What do you want?" he asked in an unpleasantly creaky voice, "Why don't you ask your dear Vairene?'

Obi-Wan tried to gently revise him, "Advisor Vairene is helping us, but we do not take sides." 

Representative Mirrin only jerked his head in response. "Yeah, sure, the Republic sent you here to bring back the antidote supply and destroy An-Thani's sacred practices in the name of money, has it not? You and Vairene are of the same kind — you only see resources."

"We are Jedi, not traders," Qui-Gon objected with quite a bit of pressure, "Our first priority here is to help."

"To help yourselves!" Representative Mirrin snapped out, "I am a scientist, a historian, and I know some things about Jedi, believe me. You were once like us: you lived on a similar planet, worshipped sacred trees, harmonized with nature and the Force. That is until you swarmed the Galaxy. Your Order degraded long ago, now you are nothing more than a bunch of Senate-serving fools!"

Obi-Wan saw how Qui-Gon's face flinched as if Representative Mirrin's words hurt him, but he quickly tamed himself. Obi-Wan found himself mostly surprised the An-Thanian knew such details of Jedi history. He had learned of the first Jedi Temple, left to a lost, ancient planet with islands that had grown the Force-sensitive uneti trees, from the legends in their studies. One such tree grew in the Temple on Coruscant; in his vision, Qui-Gon was standing under it.

"And still we want to help," Qui-Gon insisted, "Not only the Republic, but everyone. To do this we need to find out why the keman are dying."

"Why? It's obvious! An-Thani does not wish to be sold to the galaxy piece by piece!" Representative Mirrin's wings spread out menacingly, "There was a time when all An-Thanians understood it, but they have forgotten where they come from, abandoned their tradition, and lost their connection with Life. All is lost! And she would sell whatever is left!"

"Please, Representative Mirrin," Obi-Wan held up his hands, trying to calm down the man, "Maybe we could go somewhere to talk."

"I will not talk with you," Thao Mirrin snapped, "If you want to help, stop Vairene and go away! Or else, I swear, I will stop her myself!" With this, he beat his wings angrily, turning around, and walked away.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchanged a look. Seemed like their planned visit to the laboratories would have to wait.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaed by [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha)💖  
> Thank you everyone for the comments~ Friendly reminder that this is not my work, I am only a translator. Original fic is written by [damngoodcoffee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eva_s/pseuds/damngoodcoffee)

"I take it you've already gotten acquainted with Professor Mirrin," Advisor Vairene was done talking to some Parliament Representatives and came up to them. Her face looked sad; she seemed upset that the resolution about production renewal did not pass. "I am afraid he is not in the mood today despite his victory."

Qui-Gon took interest in her words, "Why today?"

"Professor Mirrin is a historian and an anthropologist. For more than thirty years, he has been studying keman and the ancient traditions related to it," she answered, "According to his research, tomorrow is the so-called Convergence Day — one of the ancient religious holidays of An-Thani. Convergence takes place every four years. On this day, the planets of our galaxy are positioned in a way that forms a specific sequence. In old times, a special ritual was performed on the sacred swamp in the evening before the Convergence Day. The day itself was then spent in meditation on the Song, but for a long time we have just spent this holiday with family and friends. If you don’t mind, I invite you tomorrow evening to join me." She smiled, a little more intimate than their formal relationship could allow. Qui-Gon unwittingly remembered the sensation of the advisor's wings touching his arm.

"We would be honored to take part in your celebration," he answered and noticed Obi-Wan's discontent ripple in the bond at the same instant. He must've thought it would be a distraction, not yet understanding that it was a part of the investigation as well. Qui-Gon restrained the urge to pat his apprentice's shoulder, remembering how Obi-Wan had shied away from the accidental touch the previous day and did not want to bother him again.

Nevertheless, Obi-Wan bowed his head showing his gratitude for the offer and got back to business. "So, Professor Mirrin is studying keman? He probably visits the swamps quite often, doesn't he?"

"Yes," Advisor Vairene confirmed, frowning as if the question confused her. Then her eyes widened. "You don't think..."

"We don't think anything yet," Qui-Gon hurried to interrupt her and gave his Padawan a warning look. The boy scowled and folded his arms but said nothing."Still, our job is to consider every possibility."

"No," Advisor Vairene objected, but her face clearly lacked determination."Professor Mirrin wouldn't. His lifework's goal is to restore the connection with keman, not to destroy the sacred flowers."

Qui-Gon shaked his head and sighed. "Sometimes, protecting what is dear to us, we make terrible mistakes."

***

Qui-Gon sent Obi-Wan off to keep tabs on Professor Mirrin, while he got back to their quarters and busied himself with analyzing transportation logs.

All surveillance logs and gravboat navigation system logs had already been scoured by An-Thanians during the initial investigation: nothing unusual had come up. No one came near the flowers except for the workers and several scientists, Thao Mirrin among them. Qui-Gon checked the nav system logs of the boats Professor Mirrin had used, just in case. It seemed like the man had just circled over the swamp, probably studying it, and had only come close to the flowers a few times, some of which had perished while others had not.There was also no correlation between the time of his visits and the deaths of exact plants.

The transporters were still suspicious; they were large, covered gravboats used to supply the labs with expendables, tare and equipment, and to ship off the final product. Theoretically anything could be sneaked on those vessels, and Qui-Gon thought the easiest way to perform a diversion was to poison the flowers. Local tests had shown nothing of sorts, yet he knew very well there were many substances in the Galaxy which could disintegrate and leave almost no trace. They knew how to deal with that at the Temple. Qui-Gon would have to wait for their response in order to confirm his suspicions, but he did not want to just wait.

There were a lot of records of the past month, since the flowers started to die, and at first glance there were nothing out of the ordinary. Qui-Gon sorted the data by cargo type — several sacs of pulverised thermoplast and two spray guns caught his attention. He checked the laboratory operations report and found the record about sheathing repair, just as expected. Floating laboratories had to be kept in a perfect condition, otherwise the smallest crack might cause a flow and flooding of valuable equipment. It seemed like such repairs were a common occurrence.

Well, the records proved to be of no use. Qui-Gon set the datapad aside. There was another thing he must do.

He left the couch and sat down in the center of the common room, settling into the customary meditation pose. He closed his eyes and felt the light, filtering through the ceiling and leaves of the plants below it, on his face. The Living Force was everywhere, permeating the room, flowing through the layers of glass and plastic, unchanged, and into the vast fields where wind caressed grass with a gentle hand.

"You are nothing more than a bunch of Senate-serving fools."

The memory of their conversation with Thao Mirrin surfaced from the depths of his mind, where Qui-Gon had placed it aside that morning. He felt bitter. Neither just once, nor twice, he’d pondered the path of the Jedi Order and where would it take them: how could they keep themselves and their code pure.

A mission on Bri’n had once gone badly, and he’d found himself expected to take part in a war, then called a coward when he had refused. He had put in some random coordinates into the nav computer, and, obeying the will of the Force, landed on an uninhabited planet. It was there that Qui-gon found the Light and the Dark Side of the Force intertwined in the heinous and elegant dance of Life and Death, and there that he had been bestowed a vision: he battled the spawns of the Dark Side and destroyed them, but then he saw his dead Jedi friends lying before him instead, and the Dark side now flowed inside him. Jedi had to keep away from political conflict in order to keep the balance, that's what he had understood back then and Yoda had agreed with him. Only a few years had passed and here he was yet again, on a mission from the Senate, with a task to recommence the supplies the Republic needed so much.

There was some truth to Thao Mirrin's words.

Qui-Gon let this thought enter his mind and then gradually dissolve in the Force along with the bitterness and mistrust. His senses, pure and calm again, now able to catch on a distant but no less distinct song of keman. Like a slow river, it flowed through all things, but no one apart from him and Obi-Wan was able to hear it.

As if caught on Obi-Wan's name, Qui-Gon's mind slide towards the familiar figure, glowing with the light blue of youth and innocence. Obi-Wan was somewhere down below, on the lower levels of the city complex, focused on his task. Qui-Gon nearly saw him momentarily — his knit together brows, tight line of his lips, thin braid running down his long neck and shoulder.

The vision was so unexpectedly crisp Qui-Gon had to open his eyes. He still was in the common room and, judging by the cast shadows, the sun hadn’t traveled far.

He reached out for the datapad and accessed the inner planetary network. The search of the keyword "jedi" brought results that mostly consisted of the articles by Professor Mirrin and his students. Thao Mirrin had juxtaposed, not very common, but still public, bits of knowledge about the Jedi Order origins with local myth and made a hypothesis: the legendary planet of the First Temple might be located in the same sector with An-Thani. Qui-Gon found this curious, though lacking any substantial basis. There was something familiar about An-Thani.

In his other articles, the professor theoreticized why An-Thanians were no longer sensitive to the Life. Two hundred years ago, when the first foreighn ships reached An-Thani, there were already very few people who could hear the Song of keman. Those Force-sensitive An-Thanians were shamans; they listened to the Song and guided society along the path the Living Force had shown them. Unfortunately, offworlders had brought not only science and technology with them, but also death — not long after the first contact with the Galaxy, some unknown disease had striken the planet and left the people of An-Thani on the verge of extinction. The last of the shamans perished before they could pass their knowledge, and tradition was lost along with the genes of Force-sensitivity. 

Mirrin believed that the planet itself responded to the disruption of the customary way of life by deafening people to the Song, but Qui-Gon did not feel discontent in the Force on An-Thani. He was sure Force-sensitives were still being born on this planet, as any other in the Galaxy. There was just no one out here to help them recognize and enhance their abilities.

Qui-Gon closed his eyes again. He had always been more affined to the Living Force; he could sense the tiniest movements of living energy — the here and now were clear, but past and future were unavailable to him.

All the more interesting it made the vision that keman had sent his student, more capable in prescience. Obi-Wan had said that it had nothing to do with the mission and Qui-Gon did not insist, used to giving him more freedom of will in these last years. Still, he felt as if this vision was somehow important.

His commlink beeped, breaking him out of his reverie. Qui-Gon glanced up to the dome: the sun had become orange, foreshadowing the coming dusk.

"Yes, Padawan?"

"Seems like something is going on here, Master." Obi-Wan's voice was muted and his breathing suggested he was moving, "Professor Mirrin spent all day at his place, but he came out recently and other An-Thanians are joining him. They are all dressed inconspicuously and keeping quiet; they are going up now. They're nearly ten of them and I see no weapons. Do they plan a mutiny? To attack Advisor Vairene?"

"I don't think so," Qui-Gon stood up and threw on his robe, "I think I know where they are heading to."

"Where to, Master?" Obi-Wan's tone became a bit incredulous.

Qui-Gon smiled at that and answered, "I assume they are going to the swamp."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha) did the betaing for the chapter, and I am very grateful 🥺💚💚💚

Obi-Wan, focused and collected, carefully followed the An-Thanians. Ten more joined the group on its way to the upper level. Obi-Wan expected Professor Mirrin to lead them to the docks, but instead they meandered through the passages, up to another level, and into an open air.

The sun had already set and a scattering of small stars sparkled on the violet velvet of the sky. Three larger, brighter ones stood out among them, forming a nearly equilateral, upside-down triangle. So that's what the Convergence looked like!

"We've left the city to the north of the waterfall," Obi-Wan said quietly into the commlink, "Professor Mirrin has taken the group to the swamp. But, I don't remember there being a landing platform."   


"Let's see what they are going to do," Qui-Gon answered, "I'll take the gravboat and wait on the other side."

Obi-Wan trailed behind the An-Thanias, as they got further away from the city, the light from the hemispheres was swallowed up into the night. Dew on the grass glinted under the starlight and the soil smelled of dampness, peat, decomposing herbage. Wetland life sounds had become louder: reeds rustling, rhythmic chirping of unseen insects, distant hum of the water. Soon, every step was followed by a wet splash; Obi-Wan realized that they had entered the swamp and quickly would reach the river floodplain.

The An-Thanians moved easily using wings to keep their balance where necessary. Having jumped noiselessly from tussock to tussock almost two dozen times, an immense amount of water now glinted ahead and Obi-Wan looked back — they had gone quite deeply into the sacred lands.

The group stopped on the bank and only the swish of their clothes could be heard for some time. Then, Obi-Wan saw Professor Mirrin unfold his wings, fly over the width of water, and land somewhere ten meters ahead. The man turned back and signed to the others: all of them took off, landed, then took off again.

"They fly right over the swamp," Obi-Wan whispered into the comm, agitated, "As if they know where to land to make another flight!"

"They do know," Qui-Gon hemmed, "Seems like Professor Mirrin made a map for them during his previous visits."

"They are headed towards the flowers! I'll swim after them," Obi-Wan said, discarding his robe on a heap of cloaks left by An-Thanians.

"Be careful, Padawan."

Obi-Wan snorted, putting away the commlink, and yet the words made warmth spread inside his chest.

The water was of the same temperature as the air; Obi-Wan did not feel its touch at first. The unstable bottom suddenly gave way after a few steps and the deep, black waters took him. Stalks touched his arms while he swam, and something dashed out the way in the darkness. He crossed the stream, climbed onto solid ground, and quietly hopped between tussocks with the help of the Force, but soon he had to swim again.

When the flowers were close,the An-Thanians stopped. Obi-Wan froze in the water, afraid to come closer and not able to find anything solid to climb on, but then a gravboat quietly slipped from the reeds. Qui-Gon bent over and held out a hand to him. Obi-Wan grabbed onto it — the palm was firm and hot to the touch — and got inside as carefully as he could. Qui-Gon stopped the engine and bent down, signing for Obi-Wan to do the same; Obi-Wan complied.

In the meantime, the An-Thanians formed into a triangle. Obi-Wan recognized the silhouette standing at the apex closest to the flowers — Professor Mirrin.

He glanced up at Qui-Gon nervously — should they stop them? But Qui-Gon put a finger to his lips, smile hiding in the corners of his eyes. Obi-Wan held his breath involuntarily and followed his master's gaze back to the swamp.

The wind blew, scattering a barely visible fog above the water's surface; the stars seemed to shine even brighter, bathing everything in their ghostly light. The An-Thanians slowly unfolded their wings and small rainbows danced on them like on a stained glass. A low, deep vibrating buzz filled up night air.

Obi-Wan felt hair on his nape stand up. Qui-Gon gently laid a hand on his shoulder without looking and squeezed gently.

One by one, the An-Thanians rose up to the sky, purple sparks of fireflies following them. An unfamiliar song rose high with them, flowing in the night; Obi-Wan felt it with his whole being as it wavered and resonated with the song of keman. Qui-Gon's fingers pressed closer, calling for his attention, and Obi-Wan looked up. The flowers began to open as the darkness saturated with sound.

A deep, excruciating shiver went through Obi-Wan’s body. His breath hitched and he didn’t even notice himself leaning against Qui-Gon's side. Qui-Gon put his arm around him. They watched in silence as the swarm went higher and higher, close to the flowers, and the Force sang around them, inside them, followed by the hum of delicate, trembling wings.

Sudden flash of searchlights blinded them. Caught in the crosslight, the An-thanians darted in all directions. Some fell into the water,floundering; gravboats already heading for them, while a voice thundered over the swamp, magnified by a megaphone: "Cease your activity immediately and surrender!"

Qui-Gon cursed and dashed to the control panel starting the boat.

When they got closer, law enforcement personnel were already packing the gravboats with the wet, shaking conspirators. Professor Mirrin was among them, standing by the side of the boat, hands bound, wings limp and rumpled.

"Revered Jedi," the commanding officer nodded at them, "we are grateful for your help in capturing the criminals. We registered an unauthorized use of the gravboat," he glanced at the vessel, "and went to check. You tracked them down for us."

"They are not criminals," Qui-Gon said calmly.

"Not?" The officer looked confused, "Well, the investigation will show." He nodded again and left to oversee the arrest. 

Qui-Gon rubbed at his forehead. Obi-Wan was disturbed as well. He wondered, now that he was back to his senses, why hadn’tthey stopped the An-Thanians themselves. Obviously they had attempted to conduct some sort of ritual!

Qui-Gon seemed to sense his chain of thought and looked at him intently. Obi-Wan was suddenly reminded of their half-embrace back there, under the low velvet sky and ghostly starlight. His face, ears, neck went on fire, and he was about to burn up where he stood, but then he sneezed unexpectedly.

"You're all wet," Qui-Gon squeezed his forearm briefly. "Let's get back. We cannot help here."

The landing platform was crowded with the Parliament officials, reporters, and lab workers. Holocam flashes and agitated voices tore through the night as the gravboats with the arrestees docked.

Advisor Vairene approached them. She lurched forward and took Qui-Gon's hand. "I am so grateful you have caught the ones who harmed keman!"

"This is not true," Qui-Gon objected and gently pulled the advisor aside. The sight of her tender wrist in Qui-Gon's large hand irritated Obi-Wan, but he forced himself to listen closely to his master's words.

"They are not criminals," Qui-Gon said, "Most probably they were just reconstructing the ancient Convergence ritual."

"Why are you so sure it was harmless? It could have had negative effects on the flowers," Vairene frowned, obviously not convinced.

"I did not sense anything malignant in the Force," Qui-Gon answered, "Let us at least wait for the test results before jumping to conclusions. They are expected to be done by tomorrow morning."

The advisor hesitated, considering, and ran her fingers over her other hand where Qui-Gon had touched her moments ago. She raised her violet eyes on him. "All right."

Obi-Wan suppressed his irritation and turned away.

***

He changed and entered the common room where Qui-Gon was already waiting for him. There was a round teapot of transparent material on the table, unfamiliar herbs whirled in the hot water. Obi-Wan came closer and for once seated himself into the armchair opposite of Qui-Gon. The Master handed him a cup.

Hot, fragrant tea warmed him but could not calm the chaos of his thoughts.

"I see you have got questions, Padawan," Qui-Gon looked serenely at him. He relaxed against the back of the couch and with the other cup, seemingly small in his hands.

Obi-Wan looked away.

"Why do you think that Professor Mirrin and his people did not harm keman?"

"There are many reasons. First, the Convergence happens only four times a year. An An-Thanian year lasts for sixteen month, hence the last Convergence took place four month ago. This does not correlate with the onset of the flowers’ perdition," Qui-Gon explained, "I checked lab security recordings from the time of the last Convergence while I was waiting on the swamp. No one was there."

He passed a datapad and Obi-Wan swiped through the open files.

"Second, according to security logs, Professor Mirrin started his preparations only three months ago," Qui-Gon continued, "He couldn't borrow the gravboats in the docks, they are under surveillanceeven I had to use the Force to get one, and, alas, it was quickly discovered. Mirrin had to study the swamp well and put together a map with the path to the flowers. An-Thanian wings are not fit for long flights and he had to find all the islands and tussocks where they could land."

"And land in a way to form a triangle," Obi-Wan muttered, reading through some professor's article on Convergence. Qui-Gon nodded.

"And, third... have you felt any ill intention in the Force, Padawan?"

Obi-Wan glanced up; Qui-Gon was looking at him closely again.

"No," Obi-Wan answered in a hoarse voice, his face burning once more. He hadn't felt anything like that, but he had felt.."

Qui-Gon suddenly leaned over the table and touched Obi-Wan’s forehead with his palm.

"Seems like the swim did you no good, Obi-Wan," he said, "Go rest. Tomorrow will not be easy, I'm afraid."

Obi-Wan's heart was pounding somewhere in his throat and all he could do was just nod silently.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, betaed by amazing [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha) 💚💜💗

Just as Qui-Gon predicted, the news about the arrest of Professor Mirrin, "the criminal guilty of the death of keman" were shared and discussed on every corner. Every article mentioned that a major part in the capturing was taken by the Jedi. Furthermore, laboratory surveillance recording of the ritual had hit the An-Thanian network. The actions of Professor Mirrin and his associates looked ominous on the infrared night vision holocam.

The test results from Coruscant still had not arrived.

Qui-Gon felt a vague sense of anxiety. The events had bulldozed over everything and everyone like an avalanche. Now that mass-media had raised the buzz, it would be difficult to prove Professor Mirrin innocent. Here they had him — the criminal — captured by the Jedi themselves: what other evidence did they need? The production could be renewed, there was no need to be afraid anymore.

Qui-Gon felt it was not that simple. If he had the results on his hands — and he was sure the results would show something — he could put a stop to it all. Yet, Coruscant was silent and it complicated everything.

Once he finished his morning meditation he went to wake Obi-Wan up and found the door to his room to be open. Maybe it was more comfortable for him; they rarely had separate rooms during missions.

Obi-Wan was sleeping sprawled on the bed, a crumpled blanket slid off his chest, his undertunic opened a stripe of smooth fair skin. Qui-Gon carefully adjusted the blanket and touched his forehead — the temperature was normal. Like every Jedi, Obi-Wan had mastered his body and a few hours swim would not harm him. Still, something was going on with him and Qui-Gon wanted to find out what. Maybe he felt he would be knighted soon and their shared path of Master and Padawan was about to end?

Qui-Gon shook his head. It was unlikely. It must be his own feelings.

He reached out and gently caressed Obi-Wan's cheek. Then Qui-Gon left, not finding it in himself to wake him up.

***

They spent their breakfast reading news and frowning in silence. Qui-Gon's comm signaled an incoming message: Advisor Vairene had notified them about an extraordinary Parliament session.

There was only one issue on the agenda: renewal of manufacture. Qui-Gon asked for the floor and tried to explain to An-Thanians that Professor Mirrin had nothing to do with the flowers' peril, that resuming production can lead to another tragedy; they hardly even listened. Now that Professor Mirrin was no longer present in the Parliament, his past allies lost their trust in his ideas, and there was no one to vote against the resolution. It passed with barely a dissentient voice.

Qui-Gon approached Advisor Vairene after the session and interrupted her conversation with several other representatives without much hesitation.

"Advisor Vairene, I still strongly recommend you to wait. There are a lot of blank spaces in this story; I am pretty sure Professor Mirrin is not guilty."

She looked lost.

"But we cannot... The Parliament has already made a decision."

"Perhaps you could address the Queen and advise her to veto the resolution?" Obi-Wan suggested. Qui-Gon gave him a surprised look — his padawan had been quiet all morning, and he had not expected him to take part in the conversation.

"Good idea," he supported his apprentice, "We need a little more time; we haven't received the test results yet. Do you truly wish to risk flowers again?"

"No, I do not. I will try speaking with the Queen, but I cannot promise you anything. The right of veto is granted, but has never been used. I am afraid it may cause some political difficulties," she shook her head.

Obi-Wan bowed his thanks. "May I go to the laboratories one more time before the production started?"

"Unfortunately, with all the upset, I will not be able to accompany you today," the advisor looked troubled.

Qui-Gon was quick to reassure her, "Padawan Kenobi will do absolutely fine without any escort. Just issue him a permission to borrow a gravboat, if you may." He smiled, and the advisor nodded reluctantly.

"Meanwhile, I would like to talk with Professor Mirrin," Qui-Gon continued, "Can this be arranged?"

"Of course. But..." Advisor Vairene's wings twitched, "You know, he does not appear to be in a talking mood."

***

Professor Mirrin looked even worse than he did the night before. His wings hung down his back limply, like two rumpled rags; his face was pale, bluish shadows under his eyes. When he spotted Qui-Gon, his mouth twitched and he turned away.

Qui-Gon sat down in front of him and folded his arms on the table.

"I know you are not guilty, Professor Mirrin," he said evenly, "I am sorry the situation turned out like this. However, you should talk."

Mirrin turned to him, his eyes burning holes into Qui-gon.

"Why don't you go and...", he inserted a local word, "...yourself?" Qui-Gon did not know the word, but the connotation was very clear.

He sighed. The professor's despair, his powerlessness, felt like a duracrete wall. He had to move this wall, otherwise none of them will be able to get justice.

"What you were doing back on the swamp, it was the Convergence ritual, wasn't it?" he asked, "What is its purpose? What does it mean?"

"What do you care?!" Mirrin exploded, "First you track us down, then you say we are innocent, and now you dare to ask about the rite! I have nothing to tell you! Even if I had some hopes about Jedi before, I've lost them all after I've met you. What are you even doing here? Vairene has probably dragged through her criminal resolution to renew production, so why don't you fly away? You've accomplished the Republic's task!"

Qui-Gon leant back in his chair and kept silent for some time. The interrogation room did not inspire pleasant emotions: small with bare grey walls and a tightly shut window, the crude table was fixed to the floor.

"Perhaps I know what your rite is all about," he said finally, "It is about gratitude. You thanked the Life for everything it gives you and everything it takes from you. It's a pity you couldn't hear the answers."

Professor Mirrin flinched and then jerked forward so abruptly that the table hit him in the stomach. "You heard them? You heard it?"

"Yes. And it was very beautiful, Professor Mirrin. The Force answered you. Keman started to open. You would have seen it yourself if you weren't interrupted. The blame is on us, true, but we did not want that," Qui-gon looked Thao Mirrin in the eye, "I am very sorry, Professor. I believe that sooner or later you'll find those who hear the Song among your followers. As on other planets, there always are those people, not many, but they're there. But you have to help me now. Tell the investigator what exactly you did. Tell them you are not guilty. Give us time and opportunity to find the truth and to protect you."

Now, Professor Mirrin sat silent, staring at him.

"What's in it for you?" he croaked.

"We still haven't fulfilled our mission — we haven't figured out why the flowers die," Qui-Gon shrugged calmly, "And I really want to help you."

***

Professor Mirrin remained unconvinced, but Qui-Gon had at least managed to make him take thought. He went back to their quarters and checked the datapad again — still no test results. The anxiety he had felt since the morning had increased, so he decided to meditate in order to find balance and guidance in the Force.

A familiar multitude of voices flooded his mind as he closed his eyes. Right at this moment An-Thani's many living creatures were being born, dying, growing, blooming, hunting, mating, suffering, loving. Everything was in harmony, followed the cycle, and slid across the cosmos along with the green planet. Here, on An-Thani, there was balance; perhaps professor Mirrin was right and evil had once again come from the outside.

Qui-Gon opened his eyes and reached for the datapad. He accessed the data on all transports that had been coming to and leaving the planet over the last six months. He didn't quite know what he was looking for himself, sorting the data purely by instinct. Soon, he noticed something: recently it had been taking transport ships twice as long to load the products for export onto them. He compared the contracts and also found out that the shipping firm had been bought out by one of the Hutt corporations not long before this. Hutts rarely meant any good.

He raised Obi-Wan on the comm. "Are you still at the laboratories, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master. I've examined almost everything I can put my hands on, but still have found nothing. I felt I might've missed something the first time, but now I still don't see anything suspicious," Obi-Wan's voice betrayed more chagrin and irritation than suited a Jedi. Qui-Gon smiled. Obi-Wan was still so easily influenced by emotions.

"Connect to the cargo terminal, please, and send me all logs."

"On my way."

Qui-Gon could hear Obi-Wan typing on the console; his comm blinked indicating the transmission in progress.

"Thank you. And Obi-Wan, don't focus so hard on the search. Relax and let the Force guide you."

Few tense seconds of silence were the answer. Qui-Gon could nearly feel Obi-Wan's confusion. Could those unwelcome keman related visions of his be the reason for such discomfort? What had he seen?

"I shall try my best, Master." Qui-Gon heard a long sigh, as if only now Obi-Wan had let himself breath. "Have you received it all?"

"Yes, thank you," said Qui-Gon, adding gently, "Do not worry. You will have your answers when you let yourself listen."

He finished the call and accessed the files Obi-Wan sent him. Diagnostic logs of cargo gravboats were the object of his interest: they contained all the raw data on navigational routes, engine temperature, battery charge, and sensor readings... load cells. Qui-Gon opened side by side two documents: an automatic gravboat log and a logbook filled by workers.

The difference was obvious. In reality, the gravboats had been loaded twice as heavy than what was shown in the written reports.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Life was harder on me than usual, but it's getting better now. I promise to work more on this translation~  
> The chapter was beta read by the amazing [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PIRANHA/pseuds/PIRANHA) — I am so grateful you stick with me!!! Thank you so muchhhh!!! 😭💖 All remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
> I also encourage y'all to go read Piranha's recent work, [and now I just sit in silence ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28461420), which is also QuiObi, little angsty, but with a happy ending.

Obi-Wan stood motionless for some time after the call ended, propped on a console, looking at the screen and not really seeing it.

_ Relax and let the Force guide you. _

He slowly breathed in and out, then pulled out the transmitter from a connector. He exited the lab and lowered himself into the meditation position right on the sun-warmed metal of the landing platform.

There was quiet all around him — at least, it seemed like it at first. Then Obi-Wan started to hear a soft splash of water beneath the floor of the platform, a distant rustle of the wind, the insects chirping in the reeds. The Song of the keman was ever-present — it permeated the swamp, flew in the sunlight, and swirled amongst underground currents — full with life.

Obi-Wan willed his shoulders to relax. Qui-Gon was right. The issue was that he didn't want to listen. He had wanted to solve the crime, to present the solution to his master, to get praise from him. He had wanted to distract himself. Meditations here, on An-Thani, failed to calm him — the Living Force was too strong. The song of the sacred flowers was deep and all-pervading; it stripped his soul down andbrought his secret desires to the surface.

_ You must face your fears and let them through. _

He remembered a mission a few years ago: the forest full of poisonous fumes, eerie visions from the depths of subconscious, paralysing horror, agonizing pain... and hot palm on his shoulder, with Qui-Gon's serene voice guiding his way out of the nightmare.

_ Master. I want to touch you. _

The feeling, finally named, flooded him with a searing hot wave of desire and shame. Obi-Wan's breath hitched; he threw back his head and sat still until sunlight and wind wiped his mind clean of the emotion.

The image came shortly after that. A distant lab near a dead flower, barely visible traces on the floor under a table — as if not long ago some other object was being put there.

Obi-Wan smiled and got to his feet.

***

The traces remained. Obi-Wan moved aside the metal sample table and squatted down, looking closely at the soft rubber floor covering. It seemed as if some device had been stationed there. Obi-Wan glanced over the synthesizers and centrifuges in the room, but none of them matched in size and shape.

The closest wall caught his attention. Several suspiciously round patches of fresh thermoplastic were visible just above the floor. This room was located below the water level, so why would anyone have drilled holes into the outer wall?

Only if that missing device was a pump!

Obi-Wan ran up and out on the landing platform. He roughly estimated where that wall must be located from the outside, put a breather in his mouth, and dove into the water.

The underwater shadows embraced him — seaweed softly swayed around, a flock of tadpoles with shiny bellies flashed by. Obi-Wan went deeper, moving along the silt-covered sphere of the laboratory.

There it was. In the uneven light filtering throughout the mass of water, he could see piping. It exited the lab's sheathing and went somewhere towards the flower. Obi-Wan swam along it and soon large roots started to snake around him. He expected to find munpurrs here, but there were none, and the root’s dark surface looked untouched. Here, the pipes branched out and encircled the flower's base; sprinklers had been placed in direct proximity to the roots.

Apparently, someone had built an entire system around this keman plant in order to secretly poison it! And that someone had access to the laboratories. Surely other labs had those pipes as well.

Obi-Wan came back up to the surface. The dead flower was stripped of petals — they swung on the water beside him, sluggish and blackened. Tall stamens could be seen on top; they produced the precious pollen in live keman.

However, even the dead plant must have still had some, for Obi-Wan felt its effects immediately after taking the breather out. A familiar scent enveloped him — herbs, heated metal, skin. Qui-Gon's scent. Dizziness struck him, his body went weak, and he sank.

The dark mass of water made the afternoon sun look like yellow paint smeared on the uneven surface. The light dimmed as Obi-Wan slowly went deeper. Then he saw Qui-Gon. He smiled, and this smile was... unusual; there was something about it, some — Obi-Wan couldn't put a name on it. His gaze made Obi-Wan shiver sweetly; he reached out for Qui-Gon and...

His body twisted painfully as he coughed. The water surrounded him. He floundered, not knowing which way was up or down, and kicked with his feet. The surface gave way and ripped open, letting him into the open air. With a retching gasp, he quickly swam away from the flower. He climbed up to the landing platform and remained on all fours — panting and shivering — collapsing to roll onto his back as he covered his eyes with his sleeve.

_ You will have your answers when you let yourself listen.  _

He laughed bitterly, and then coughing overtook him again.

***

Qui-Gon sent him to change the instant Obi-Wan stepped inside their quarters.

When Obi-Wan came back, smoothing still damp hair, Qui-Gon smiled, "Your passion for swimming starts to worry me, Padawan."

Obi-Wan's head went dizzy again. He dropped beside his master and sighed; Qui-Gon ruffled his hair.

"What did you find?"

Obi-Wan told him about the underwater pipes and missing devices (probably pumps), He had examined the rest of the laboratories and had found more systems like that one.

"Apparently, someone was poisoning the flowers," he concluded, shaking his head. "I just can't understand the purpose behind it. If Professor Mirrin and his followers have nothing to do with it, who else might benefit from keman's death? It is a vital part of the An-Thani economy."

"I think those systems do not poison the plants," Qui-Gon handed him a datapad. "According to that data, there were more products shipped from the laboratories than the declarations show. The pipes you have found probably were used to fertilize and stimulate keman in order to increase pollen production."

Obi-Wan looked at the data. The numbers indicating cargo weight did really differ a great deal.

"The Hutts?.." he swiped to the part about the firm buyout and frowned. "So someone is manufacturing and selling the antidote illegally with their help. The test results still haven't come?"

"No," Qui-Gon shook his head. "And The Queen still refused to veto the resolution to renew the production — Advisor Vairene commed me several hours ago, but now we may be able to convince the Parliament to revoke it."

***

They decided to share their findings with Advisor Vairene personally despite the celebratory dinner not being the ideal occasion for this. The person who was able to falsify the records — how much access to the communication channels might they hav had?

Advisor Vairene met them. She was wearing a long, flowing dress with a low cut in the front, her hair put into a high hairstyle; a necklace of large opalescent gems hugging her neck. Obi-Wan felt silly for a moment in his simple Jedi garments.

He expected there to be other guests at the dinner, but the table was served for three.

"We traditionally celebrate The Convergence with our family," the advisor explained in the apologetic tone as they sat at the table. "In all these years I haven't managed to start one. Too busy," she smiled and Qui-Gon nodded, understanding.

"Jedi also do not have families. The closest thing to that is the bond formed between a Jedi Master and their padawan," he looked at Obi-Wan affectionately. Obi-Wan gulped, trying to keep a straight face.

"At what age is the apprenticeship considered finished?" the advisor inquired.

"It depends," Qui-Gon answered, "The apprenticeship lasts ten years in most cases, from thirteen to twenty three; however, sometimes a padawan is ready to be knighted earlier."

Qui-Gon's words were calm and soft, but they sent a chill down Obi-Wan's spine — what if the Master meant him? What if he was to recommend him for the Trials upon their return to Coruscant? Obi-Wan was not ready, and the Trials were not the issue.

Advisor Vairene continued to ask Qui-Gon about Jedi. When most of the food was gone — Obi-Wan didn't notice whatever he had been eating anyway — Qui-Gon deemed it the time to move on to the news.

"Advisor Vairene, I am sorry to bring up the matters at such an important holiday, but we've found something."

Qui-Gon told her about his data analysis results, and Obi-Wan shared what he had uncovered in the laboratories. The advisor's pallor deepened with their every word.

"Jedi are truly as powerful as they are said to be," she muttered, "I cannot imagine who would have done this... the laboratory chiefs — I know each one of them, and they are decent people! Who could even think about risking the flowers for their own profits?"

"We will find out," Qui-Gon promised gently, "Tomorrow morning I would like to present the evidence before the Parliament. We have to prolong the production hold and continue with the investigation."

"Of course. You cannot imagine how much you have done for us, Master Jinn," Advisor Vairene gazed at Qui-Gon, her eyes shining with joy and admiration, "A day like this... I would like to celebrate it."

She stood up and asked them to follow her.

The room she guided them in seemed to be her personal office. A long desk was hidden in one of its smooth curves, and round sofas were placed in another, beneath a big panoramic window. Similar to their assigned quarters, this room was buried in verdure, although the planters were fewer and it all looked less like a greenhouse.

The advisor invited them to sit down and strolled to the far wall; Obi-Wan saw her open the doors of, apparently, a liquor bar. The waterfall rustled outside the window, little street lights twinkling like fireflies. There was enough space between him and Qui-Gon on the sofa, and yet Obi-Wan still thought he felt his body heat with his shoulder.

Advisor Vairene came back with a tray in her hands and set it down gently on the small table between the sofas. There were three wine glasses and an oddly shaped bottle, its neck twisted into a circle. The liquid inside glowed an iridescent purple.

"This wine is made from neiti, species loosely related to keman. Neiti only grow in one region of An-Thani and are extremely hard to cultivate, so this wine is a rarity. But, the occasion calls for it." She filled their glasses and lifted her own up with a shy smile.

"For the Jedi," she said, looking at Qui-Gon. Her gaze contained so much adoration that Obi-Wan had to turn away to down the wine in one gulp.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's notes:**  
>  This chapter contains NC-17 sexual scene and (possibly) dubious consent. You've been warned; now, please enjoy. Comments are welcome. :)  
>  **Translator's notes:**  
>  Finally, we got there (¬‿¬). Beta read by [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha), as always — thank you so much!! ❣  
> And thanks to everyone for commenting~

The wine had a savory, floral taste that lingered on the tongue. Advisor Vairene continued her inquiries about Jedi that Qui-Gon answered, while Obi-Wan mostly kept to himself. Smooth spirals of hints and careful questions gradually pulled the discussion down into more and more explicit depths.

"Is that true that Jedi are celibate?" Vairene asked and looked away quickly, embarrassed, fidgeting with the stem of her glass. The wine had slightly flushed her high cheekbones; a stray tendril escaped her carefully braided hairdo and now rested against her long, delicate neck. A massive necklace guided the eyes right to the deep decollete.

Obi-Wan shifted awkwardly, apparently not knowing what to say. The conversation indeed steered into the unexpected direction. Qui-Gon smiled. He himself was used to such questions and gazes; it was barely the first time a woman — or a man — looked at him like this. But, it was to be the first encounter of the sort for Obi-Wan, as far as Qui-Gon knew. Well, he was twenty. He was an adult. He would have to face a lot of similar situations in the future, so he now had to learn how to react and deal with them.

"This is not exactly true," Qui-Gon answered, "The Code says nothing about celibacy as it is. However, it says the following: 'There is no emotion, there is peace' and 'There is no passion, there is serenity.' It means, among all other things, that a Jedi must give up their passions and attachments. That is why we do not form close personal relationships or in any way engage in love affairs."

"Not even... one-night stands?" Vairene lifted her gaze upon him, and that gaze left no room for doubt.

"In most cases, no, not even one-night stands."

He gave an honest answer, even though it contradicted the Code, and glanced at Obi-Wan. He expected his student to look embarrassed or confused, but something was amiss. Obi-Wan sat very straight, unmoving, his back rigid. His fingers gripped the emptied glass and tense veins rose up on his neck, pulsing under the sweaty skin of his temple.

Having barely drunk a quarter of the wine, Qui-Gon abandoned his own glass and stood up with a polite smile. From the corner of his eye he watched Obi-Wan follow him after a delay.

"Thank you for the evening, Advisor Vairene," Qui-Gon bowed slightly. The advisor's beautiful face became sad for a moment, but she quickly recovered. "We dare not take your time any longer. We shall meet again tomorrow at the Parliament session."

"Of course. I wish you good night, Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi..."

Qui-Gon listened to Obi-Wan's rugged breaths.

***

When they finally reached their quarters Obi-Wan made several unsteady steps and fell to his knees in the middle of the room. Qui-Gon lowered himself beside him and touched his shoulder.

"Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan's cheeks were bright red.

"Master," he struggled to speak, "I'm–"

He couldn't finish his sentence, shutting his eyes and grimacing painfully, as he bent over and wrapped his arms around himself. Qui-Gon closed his eyes and focused on his senses; he hadn't noticed anything wrong about the wine. His blood ran more quickly than usual and his concentration was weaker, but those were the usual effects of alcohol. Could Obi-Wan's reaction be caused by his individual sensitivity to some agent, like in the case with keman pollen?

"Hold on." Qui-Gon gently patted his shoulder and got up. Finding the universal antidote — the exact one being produced on An-Thani and constituting the integral part of standard Jedi-issue medkit — and plugging it into the injector took only a minute.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon dropped back to his knees beside his student, "I will now inject you with an antidote and you'll feel better, okay?"

"Y-yes, Master."

Qui-Gon carefully moved his padawan braid and pressed the injector to his neck. The solution was released with a low hiss; however, almost instantly, Qui-Gon felt Obi-Wan's heart rate increase even more. The boy moaned and careened to the side; Qui-Gon caught him and pulled close, positioning him carefully on his lap. Obi-Wan's body was feverishly hot under his hands.

The antidote didn't seem to work. It actually seemed to further worsen Obi-Wan's condition! Qui-Gon tried to understand the reason behind this and grimaced — could the keman pollen derivate react with the wine made out of the related plant species?

"Obi-Wan?" he called, caressing his flushed cheekbone with a feather-light touch, his palm so large compared to Obi-Wan's young features. His eyes were tightly shut but he was obviously conscious. 

"Try and find your center, Padawan," Qui-Gon spoke calmly, masking his anxiety, "the antidote hasn't worked and only meditation can help you now."

Obi-Wan's entire body tensed in his attempt to sit up, but he wasn't able to, so he fell back into his arms with a sharp exhale. Qui-Gon sensed how he tried to focus, though holding his mental shields up took a lot of effort. It was as if he was preventing his emotions from seeping into the training bond.

"Let it go," Qui-Gon whispered, "don't be afraid. Don't hold it all in."

Obi-Wan breathed out loudly as something broke inside of him and Qui-Gon was flooded with his feelings — heat, desire, internal tension beyond all bearing, heat, heat, heat... Qui-Gon involuntarily sweeped over his student's body and finally comprehended the scope of the problem.

Obi-Wan bit his lip, buckling up, and Qui-Gon pressed him closer.

"I can't," Obi-Wan moaned; the bond mixed, melted down, and flew in hot currents, hitting Qui-Gon's senses hard. He struggled to hold his own focus.

"Well, the problem can be solved another way," he said as calm as he could, "Physical release. I will help you to your bedroom."

He tried to stand up, pulling Obi-Wan with him, but the boy caught his arm in a death grip.

"No! I don't want to be alone, Master!" His eyes, though unfocused, were now wide open, his pupils heavily dilated.

Qui-Gon dropped back down. In his arms, his padawan burned, whimpering painfully, and he needed immediate help.

Qui-Gon hesitated no longer; he unbelted him, unfolding and opening his tunic to move the fabric out of the way. A feverish blush crept down Obi-Wan's neck and colored his chest and the cool air seemed to ease some of his distress. Qui-Gon pulled down his pants and underwear, careful not to touch bare skin, and took Obi-Wan's hand.

His palm was limp, and Qui-Gon closed his eyes momentarily, bringing their hands to cover Obi-Wan's turgid penis and squeezing lightly.

Obi-Wan shuddered bodily and groaned.

"That's it," Qui-Gon said quietly, his breath catching in his chest and voice going lower. After several strokes, he carefully removed his own hand; Obi-Wan continued to touch himself with slow, uneven movements, shivering and moaning with exertion. Qui-Gon lowered his eyelids, but the sight of his half naked, flushed padawan seemed to have been burned on his retina. Their bond, now unshielded, was full of desperate want.

"Master!..."

Qui-Gon couldn't tell if he heard it or picked it up from the bond. He sensed Obi-Wan's breathing quickening, fingers tightening, hand moving more rapidly. He stroked Obi-Wan's hair, purposefully not looking down and the boy's head turned, leaning into Qui-Gon's touch, hot lips pressed to his wrist.

His heart jumped in his throat.

With a few more jerks, Obi-Wan sobbed and arched upward, crying out suddenly as he tensed up, hit with a shallow shiver. Qui-Gon caressed his face until his breathing evened out and his heart slowed down. Then he straightened out and tidied his clothing.

"This is it. All right," he whispered, looking closely into his student's face; the blush gradually left Obi-Wan’s cheeks, and the crease between his eyebrows smoothed out. The storm in the training bond had slowly died down; though the bond hardly spoke of calm, it was better than the searing-hot whirlwind of emotion that raged in there moments ago.

A minute later, he realized that Obi-Wan fell asleep.

Qui-Gon pressed him close and stood up. Obi-Wan's head rested upon his shoulder, his forehead touching to his neck — the skin no longer too hot.

Qui-Gon froze for several seconds, simply standing in the middle of the room with his padawan in his arms. His body was limp and heavy, but Qui-Gon had no difficulty holding him. It was... pleasant. He let out a sigh.

Finally he moved, carrying Obi-Wan to his bed. He laid him down and tucked him in; Obi-Wan didn't wake, only mumbled something incomprehensible when Qui-Gon let go of him. Qui-Gon went to his own room, knelt down, and submerged in deep meditation.

"There is no emotion, there is peace".

"There is no passion, there is serenity."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter nine out of fourteen! We be making some progress, ey? :D  
> Beta read by [Piranha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/piranha) as always!! I am so very grateful for your help 💓💓💓

After waking up, Obi-Wan lingered in bed for a little longer, his eyes closed. His dream still hadn't left him — big, warm hands were touching him so gently he wanted to dissolve in those caresses. He gave into the current, floating in the waves of the familiar bond, loved and sensing love, floating until all this emotion became so huge his world exploded and split into the myriad of pieces leaving only the two of them, always the two of them...

He slowly opened his eyes as a smile touched his lips. Dawn was breaking outside the bedroom window — gentle pink rays of the rising sun hit the white foam of the waterfall and many small rainbows lit up one after another in the weightless mist.

Qui-Gon was nearby, somewhere behind the walls; Obi-Wan reached for him in the Force and was enveloped in his calmness — his Master was meditating at dawn, as per usual.

Obi-Wan suddenly noticed he was still fully clothed. Something cold stirred inside and the memory dawned on him. Advisor Vairene. Floral wine. Desire. Qui-Gon...

Obi-Wan sat up in one abrupt movement and gripped the edges of the bed as if he were about to fall. His heart sank into his stomach and thumped in there, loud and painful. It was not a dream. It was not a dream! He gasped for air.

Another cascade of memories flooded his mind: his fingers, clutching his Master's tunic, Qui-Gon hugging him, his palm moving smoothly to his belt...

The heat in his cheeks was so intense that, for a moment, everything went dark before his eyes. Qui-Gon was with him last night. Touched him.

Obi-Wan swallowed.

***

A shower and a pitiful attempt at meditation helped him to calm down a bit, and he was able to suppress a shiver as he went out into the common room. Qui-Gon was there already, sitting on a couch with a datapad in his hands. His master smiled upon seeing him. Obi-Wan looked at this completely ordinary, soft smile, and suddenly felt horrified, realising that nothing had changed. Everything that happened yesterday because of the kriffing wine had made absolutely no difference!

Feeling completely numb, he walked over and froze, not even knowing where to sit. Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow and gestured to the place on the couch next to himself.

"I'm..." Obi-Wan croaked, willing his voice to obey but unable to come up with words. Qui-Gon waited patiently; Obi-Wan averted his gaze and dropped down on the couch.

A few seconds later, Qui-Gon took him gently by the chin and turned Obi-Wan towards himself, stroking his cheek with his thumb several times. They simply stared at each other silently for a couple of long moments. Finally, Qui-Gon's lips moved as if to say something — and then, right in the moment, the door signaled and opened, letting Vairene inside.

Qui-Gon stood up.

"Advisor? Has something happened?"

Obi-Wan could barely hear him though the thumping of blood in his ears.

"The trial of Professor Mirrin has just taken place. He was sentenced to life in exile," Vairene said. She looked collected and her voice sounded firm. "The Queen and the Government of An-Thani express their gratitude to the Jedi for their help in the arrest and wish them a safe journey."

Obi-Wan was taken aback. "What?" he jumped up, kicking the small table in the process, cups and saucers clattering. "Didn't we tell you yesterday about our findings? And what about the Parliament session?"

He looked up on Qui-Gon, but the older Jedi kept silent, frowning at the advisor.

She flexed her wings in discomfort, but her face stayed calm.

"Your ship is fueled and ready for takeoff. Please inform the Senate there will be no more supply disruptions."

"What if we refuse to leave?" Qui-Gon asked quietly, and his tone of voice made the hairs stand on the back of Obi-Wan's neck.

The advisor spread her hands apologetically.

"Then all populated worlds will know how exactly the revered Jedi knights keep to their own Code. To be honest, according to my original plan the holo-video was going to be more traditional, having been recorded in my bedroom, but it turned out to be extra exciting, don't you think? A master and a padawan..."

Obi-Wan drew his saber. The blue blade made a familiar hum as it sliced into the air, but the advisor didn't seem scared in the slightest. She was looking only at Qui-Gon with a slight, contemptuous smile curving her lips.

"Power down your lightsaber, Padawan," Qui-Gon said calmly, "Our mission here is finished."

"What?! But..."

"Power down your lightsaber."

Obi-Wan did as he was told and froze, trembling with rage.

"Well," Vairene opened the door and turned back at the doorway, "have a safe trip."

***

Qui-Gon was silent all the way to the ship. Obi-Wan braced himself for a while, especially since he had to walk quickly to keep up with his master's long stride, but couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Are we really going to just leave An-Thani?"

Qui-Gon glanced at him.

"What do you think?"

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth. The person they were looking for all this time was right before their noses. He should've guessed who might have possessed the power to falsify any report, who might have had full access to the network and interrupted data transfer to Coruscant. Advisor Vairene was always a step ahead, and if he hadn’t beent so caught up in his own feelings, he wouldn't have failed so shamefully, so foolishly. If only he had listened to Qui-Gon and went to his bedroom as he had been suggested to!

They got to the landing platform where their spaceship was stationed when Qui-Gon suddenly stopped and extended his left arm, blocking the path for Obi-Wan. He held his lightsaber in his right hand, but it wasn't ignited.

A young An-Thanian stepped towards them from behind the ship, his face grim and determined, his wings trembling with tension.

"My name is Antho Mirrin. I am a son of professor Mirrin," he said. "Can we speak?"

***

Qui-Gon invited their new acquaintance up into the ship and Antho Mirrin accepted; however, he didn't look too happy. He stood silently in the middle of the deck, his wings making odd clicking noise. The sound made Obi-Wan anxious.

"I don't know why I came to you," Mirrin finally spoke, and Obi-Wan thought he heard some kind of rattling in his voice, "taking into consideration that you were the ones to set my father up. But, he is not guilty. You cannot leave without finding the actual criminal."

Obi-Wan turned to his master. He understood well what the professor's son was feeling: numbing despair and ire. They couldn’t leave the things as they were. They had to do something!

Qui-Gon tilted his head slightly, looking at Mirrin with interest, seemingly contemplating something else.

"You don't know why you came?" Qui-Gon repeated thoughtfully, reacting to the entirely wrong part of the message, which caused bright flashes of irritation to flare up in Obi-Wan.

"I also think we should stay, Master," he couldn't hold the words back, "no matter what." He squared his shoulders.

"No matter what?" Qui-Gon trained his gaze at him. Something was hidden in the depths of his eyes, and it made Obi-Wan's heart jump and stutter.

Qui-gon nodded at the control panel.

"Then program the astromech to put the ship into the outer orbit, Padawan. Let them think we left."

"Um..." Antho Mirrin blinked. Obi-Wan walked past him to the pilot seat, wild with silent delight, and started to type in commands.

"I know your father is not guilty," Qui-Gon told Mirrin, "We shall continue with our investigation notwithstanding some obstacles."

Antho Mirrin let out a relieved sigh. Obi-Wan turned away from the control panel to glance at him: the An-Thanian had gone somewhat limp and now looked even younger, roughly the same age as Obi-Wan.

"We never get along well, me and father," Mirrin said out of the blue, rubbing at his face. "We had a fight a year ago and I left our home, started to live separately. His ideas always seemed crazy to me. He only cared about his... history research. But, it's not right. I know for a fact he could not harm keman. He worships them."

"You are right," Qui-Gon nodded. "The one responsible for the recent events is Advisor Vairene."

"What?.."

Obi-Wan was surprised as well. Is it wise to lay out the truth for a person whom they’d known for barely fifteen minutes? Qui-Gon met Obi-Wan's stare with calm, so Obi-Wan kept his mouth shut. After all, his master was extremely well attuned to the will of the Force; it must have been guiding him in this too.

Qui-Gon shared the details of their findings and Vairene's reaction with Mirrin, but didn't mention the real reason behind their rushed departure, and Obi-Wan was grateful for that.

"Advisor Vairene insists we stop the investigation and go back to Coruscant. Formally, we really should do this — the culprit has been discovered, the supply have been resumed. However," Qui-Gon threw a glance at Obi-Wan, "it would be wrong to step back from the situation like this."

Antho Mirrin looked dumbfounded.

"When my father attacked her with all these accusations I wouldn't believe him," he managed to say. "Never thought he could be right," he shook his head. "But, why don't you just make all this information a public knowledge?"

"So far, we only have circumstantial evidence that the flowers were exposed to some agent and the results of transport log analysis," Qui-Gon explained, "Even if we publish this, someone else would be claimed responsible, one of the heads of the laboratories perhaps. No piece of evidence points to the advisor herself. We have to find undeniable proof."

Obi-Wan mused aloud, "The advisor must have been receiving payments for the extra product. If we could get our hands on her data and transaction logs it would prove her involvement."

Antho Mirrin rubbed at his chin.

"Well, I just may be able to help you with that."

***

Having sent the ship into orbit, they took a roundabout way down to the lower levels of the city. It was hard to stay unnoticed here — surveillance cameras glinted their small eyes at them from every direction, but they became more sparce as the group descended deeper into the ground.

Finally, they reached the level deep enough to never see the light of the day. Small, cheap apartments were located here: the doors pressed close to one another; the wall cladding was in a dire need of a repair; and the sidewalks got very narrow. Obi-Wan was reminded of the Coruscant lower levels, with the difference that An-Thani grew in depth, not in height. He became curious momentarily why would An-Thanians build their dwellings in such seemingly irrational manner — in the fissures in the ground — but then he thought about insect nests and decided to abstain from asking.

Antho Mirrin stopped by one of the simplest and worst-looking doors and keyed it open — even the lock was mechanical instead of a standard sensor lock.

"I live with a roommate," he explained, "but don't worry, we probably won't even notice him."

He opened the door and gestured to them to come inside, and the first thing Obi-Wan saw was a person lying facedown on the floor."


End file.
